Baroness Ashton of Upholland: On 7 March the Lord Chancellor made the following statutory instrument:
	The Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 (Commencement No. 5 and Transitional Provisions) Order.
	The order, is made in accordance with Section 48(3)(a), (4), (5) and (6) of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004, hereafter referred to as the 2004 Act. This order commences Section 26 (unification of appeal system) of, and Schedules 1 and 2 to, the 2004 Act on 4 April 2005. This order also contains transitional provisions in relation to pending appeals which were made to an adjudicator before 4 April 2005, and in relation to further appeals and applications in such cases. Copies of the order have been made available to Members and Peers in the votes and printed pages office.
	On 10 March, the Lord Chancellor also laid before Parliament the following statutory instruments.
	The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (Fast Track Procedure) Rules 2005, and the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (Fast Track Time Limits) Order 2005.
	The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (Fast Track Procedure) Rules 2005 are made in accordance with Sections 106(1)–(3) and 112(3) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and Section 40A(3) of the British Nationality Act 1981, after consulting with the Council on Tribunals in accordance with Section 8 of the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1992. These rules prescribe a "fast-track" procedure for appeals and applications to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, where the appellant is in detention under the Immigration Acts at the locations listed in Schedule 2 to the rules. The rules come into force on 4 April 2005.
	The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (Fast Track Time Limits) Order 2005 is made in accordance with Sections 26(8) and (9) of the 2004 Act, after consulting with the Lord Chief Justice in accordance with Section 26(10) of the 2004 Act. This order shortens the time limits for review applications made by parties to "fast-track" appeals to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. These are referred to as Section 103A applications.
	For a transitional period, Section 103A applications will initially be considered by a member of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. If the tribunal member does not make an order for reconsideration or grant permission for the application to be made out of time, the applicant may notify the appropriate court, under Paragraph 30(5)(a) of Schedule 2 to the 2004 Act, that he wishes the court to consider the application.
	This order reduces to two days the time limits for making the Section 103A application and for giving notice under Paragraph 30(5)(a), in cases where the fast-track procedure rules apply, so long as the appellant remains in detention when the application is made or notification is given. It comes into force on 4 April 2005.

Lord Warner: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	We are publishing today a new concordat and moratorium on genetics and insurance, which has been agreed between the Government and the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Copies have been placed in the Library. An electronic version has been placed on the Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk/publications.
	The new framework, which comes into force today, provides that the use of genetic information by insurance companies will be transparent, fair, and subject to independent oversight. It will help to reassure patients who may be deterred from taking predictive genetic tests for fear of the insurance consequences, and is flexible enough to respond to fast-moving technological and clinical developments in genetic testing.
	The concordat balances the interest of patients and insurers. Those seeking insurance should not withhold information relevant to underwriting, and insurers should not treat people who have an adverse predictive genetic test result less favourably than others, except as provided for in the concordat.
	The moratorium on the use by insurers of predictive genetic test results is extended for an extra five years until 1 November 2011. No one will be required to disclose the results of a predictive genetic test unless it has been approved by the Genetics and Insurance Committee (GAIC) and is for insurance of more than £500,000 for life insurance or £300,000 for other health insurance. This means that for the vast majority of insurance policies genetic tests results will not be used at all.
	The concordat clarifies the broad types of insurance for which predictive genetic test results may be relevant. They are life, critical illness, and income protection insurance policies. Insurers will not use the results from predictive genetic tests for travel insurance, private medical insurance, or any other one-off or annual policy, or for long-term-care insurance.
	The concordat also clarifies the circumstances when patients need not disclose genetic information, and how information will be handled by insurers. For example, genetic tests taken as part of a research study will not need to be disclosed to insurers. This is good news for United Kingdom clinical researchers, as it specifically rules out the use by insurers of the results of genetic tests taken during participation in clinical trials, removing a potential obstacle to patient recruitment in the development of diagnostic tests, treatments, and medicines.
	These commitments are backed up by independent oversight of the use of predictive genetic tests by GAIC together with the ABI's code of practice and an impartial complaint and arbitration process.
	The Government would like to thank the Human Genetics Commission, GAIC, patient groups including Breakthrough Breast Cancer, CancerBACUP and the Alzheimer's Society, and other research groups and individuals who have provided valuable contributions that have helped shape this new concordat and moratorium on genetics and insurance.
	The new framework means that insurance will continue to be available for people who take predictive genetic tests. They will need to disclose only the adverse results of predictive genetic tests for a limited range of unusually high-value insurance polices—and then only if the predictive genetic test has been approved by GAIC. It is the Government's view that this approach is good news for individuals and insurance companies as it will ensure that the rights, safety and well-being of those taking predictive genetic tests are protected whilst also ensuring a viable and fair insurance market.